ever before. This is our nature
and USGBC and its members’
collective mission,” said Rick
Fedrizzi, CEO and founding
chair, USGBC. “However, the market has
requested additional time to prepare for
LEED v4, so we are responding.”
In a survey conducted at last week’s
Greenbuild conference, 61 percent of
respondents said they are “not ready”
or “unsure” if they are ready to pursue
LEED v4 and require additional time to
prepare. Extending LEED 2009’s avail-
ability enables USGBC to work with the
broader industry within a longer time
frame to drive meaningful and compre-
hensive change.
“Our international LEED users,
which account for some 50 percent of
new LEED registrations, have also indi-
cated they would like to have more time
to move onto the new rating system,”
Fedrizzi noted. “This extension will be
especially helpful to them.”
LEED v4 has been in the market for
nearly one year and will remain available
for those market leaders who are ready.
“LEED v4 wasn’t designed to be easy.
It is the next generation of green build-
ing, and we are confident the market will
meet us there as they have in years past,”
added Fedrizzi. “When USGBC first pi-
lot tested LEED in 1998, there weren’t
many buildings that could qualify for
LEED certification at the Platinum level.
Now, more than 1,000 buildings have
achieved it. With LEED, we have a re-
sponsibility to set a high bar and we
know that many leaders are capable of
reaching it, presently or in the very near
future. We want to support our LEED
users as they move the market forward
with us, and allowing them to utilize the
LEED 2009 rating system for a little lon-
ger will help facilitate that.”
“USGBC continues to develop new
resources that support the market’s adop-
tion of LEED,” added Fedrizzi. “The
LEED Dynamic Plaque provides a vivid,
real-time visualization of building per-
formance data spanning water, energy,
occupant satisfaction and more, giving
building owners critical insight into how
their building is performing. Every day,
LEED is contributing to scores of new,
LEED has facilitated spectacular ad-
vances in building technologies, integrat-
ed design and operating practices. LEED
is also largely responsible for the explo-
sive growth of the green building sector,
which supports or creates 7. 9 million jobs
across all 50 states and contributes $554
billion to the U.S. economy annually.
PPG Launches Mobile
Website for Master’s Mark
Brand
PPG Industries’ architectural coatings
business in China recently launched a
mobile website on the WeChat public
platform for the Master’s Mark paint
brand. The official brand account for the
popular social media tool in China is the
first mobile website PPG has launched on
Chinese social media.
PPG Architectural Coatings in China
is dedicated to developing the official
account on WeChat for the Master’s
Mark brand into a service platform for
home decoration and living informa-
tion. The newly launched site consists
of four sections – “Product Center,”
“Paint Service,” “Paint Calculator” and
“Master’s Video.”
In the Product Center section, con-
sumers can find information about prod-
ucts to meet their needs at any time and
any place. Visitors can use the Paint
Calculator function to find how much
paint is needed for a project when they
input the construction area of each room
to be painted. The Paint Service section
offers dialing assistance to help consum-
ers call PPG’s customer service at 400-
998-4598. Finally, the Master’s Video
section includes various videos offering
updates on Master’s Mark paint products
and services.
In addition, the new social site for the
Master’s Mark brand provides the latest
information on color trends, home decoration inspiration, store locations and
more in an interactive way. To access it,
search for the WeChat ID “mastersmark”
and then click “Follow” to get up-to-date
news about Master’s Mark paints.
PPG Foundation Supports
Chemistry Outreach
Program
More than 250 students at Bloom
Elementary in Louisville, KY teamed
up with chemistry adventurer Ion Jones
on a global quest to explore rainforests,
deserts, glaciers, ancient temples and prehistoric carbon deposits. While the journey – made possible by PPG Industries
Foundation with support from the
Community Foundation of Louisville and
DDW “The Color House” – is imaginary,
the science involved is real.
Led by Ion Jones (a parody of the
“Indiana Jones” movie hero), “Ion
Jones & the Lost Castle of Chemistry”
is a 45-minute, interactive traveling science show. Initially created by Carnegie
Science Center of Pittsburgh with support from PPG, the show teaches students
how chemistry affects industry, technology and the environment. By the time
students reach the Lost Castle, they have
explored and observed chemistry in action courtesy of a fiery volcano, a cola
geyser, an exploding hydrogen-filled balloon and other experiments.
This all-new chemistry-themed outreach program - which includes a science
show, hands-on activities and pre- and
post-program materials about chemistry
and chemical reactions - will be available
to travel to schools and other locations
throughout the region.
“The need to inspire and embed a
culture of science literacy in Kentucky is
crucial to the future of the region. Our
strategic plan, ‘Unbridled Science,’ re-
sponds to that need by challenging us to
reach more students beyond the borders
of our building. This dynamic new pro-
gram does just that,” explained Science
Center executive director Joanna Haas.
“With support from PPG, a Fund for
Louisville capacity-building grant from
the Community Foundation of Louisville
and D.D. Williamson, we are launching
‘Ion Jones,’ a self-sustaining, on-the-road
program that will introduce students
across the region to the critical discipline
of science and inspire them to become life-
long learners.”
This program will join the ranks of the
Science Center’s other successful traveling
